Giant Rock Island

Lin Yijun set down the jade slip in his hand and glanced discreetly at Tang Zifeng’s direction.

Tang Zifeng had his head lowered, seemingly polishing something with his fingers.

At a quick glance, it looked like there was nothing in his hand, but upon closer inspection, it was a thread-like object.

His current actions were like carving patterns on a hair-thin thread.

Lin Yijun smirked and said, “Tang Zifeng, have you checked the rankings on the golden list?”

The black-robed young man with his head bowed didn’t change his demeanor, exuding an air of indifference.

Lin Yijun thought to himself, “Pretending to be calm, huh?”

“You know, little monster is making quite a name for herself out there. She has passed two tests so far, scoring full marks in both, and especially in the second one, she reportedly surpassed the normal difficulty level and received an extra ten points from the examiner.”

The term “little monster” caught Tang Zifeng’s attention.

His eyes moved slightly, and his hands paused for a moment before he resumed his work with a calm demeanor.

Lin Yijun continued with a casual tone, “I also heard that the Hui Cui Tower ranked her as the top among the four domains’ top ten female cultivator.

She has a lot of fans and followers now, her popularity soaring.

The top ten female cultivator list is also known as the ‘Peach Blossom Blooming List.’

The higher the rank, the more admirers they attract.

Oh, just thinking about the scene where the little monster is followed by a crowd makes me anxious for her.”

At this point, the black-robed young man, who appeared deeply focused, finally showed some reaction.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze steady but fixed intently on Lin Yijun’s face.

Lin Yijun raised his chin proudly and said, “How about it? Feeling nervous? Have your defenses cracked? If you want, I can give you some advice.”

Tang Zifeng replied calmly, “Her troubles are her own. Why should I be concerned?”

The implication was that since Lin Yijun wasn’t on the top ten female cultivator list, she was unnecessarily worrying about things.

Lin Yijun was taken aback for a moment, then reacted with wide eyes, “Are you mocking me?”

She was well-known as a talented female cultivator in the Western Ridge.

However, after the weapon refining competition, Tang Zifeng had become the most talked-about person.

But Lin Yijun was not easily intimidated.

She began to argue, “You stiff log, don’t act tough with me.

And you’re still just a sidekick to the little monster.

Besides, whose side are you on anyway?

We are both proper Western Ridge cultivators, and you’re always turning away from us.

Do you think the little monster even pays attention to you?”

Tang Zifeng silently finished packing up his things, stood up, and looked down at Lin Yijun coldly.

Lin Yijun, feeling threatened, took a step back. “Hey, hey, don’t get angry. We should stick together as cultivators from the same ridge…”

Tang Zifeng responded: “Of course, I am on Qingqing’s side. Was that even a question?” This answered the first question from Lin Yijun.

“She definitely regards me with respect. She has always looked at me with respect.”

Once, when he was wandering in the Southern Ridge, disguised as a mysterious black-robed alchemist with a strange temper, the first time he visited the Qin family, Tang Zifeng knew that Qin Ruqing was the first to regard him with genuine respect.

Her gaze was curious, discerning, and even calculating, but it was never filled with disdain.

That was quite refreshing to him.

He was seen as a misfit by his clan, and after being driven out of his home, he wrapped himself in a black robe, becoming even more of an outcast.

Aside from his mother, Qin Ruqing was the first person who didn’t treat Tang Zifeng as a misfit in the true sense.

She treated him normally—she plotted against him, threatened him, and tried every trick to get something from him.

It seemed unfair, but in reality, it was all about equality, and Tang Zifeng could understand this.

Moreover, she even sent him messages during her tests.

Tang Zifeng had already known that Qin Ruqing would complete the tests quickly, because she had reported back promptly after finishing her test at Shazhou Island.

She said: “Go ahead, Brother Tang! You’re the best in refining. I’ll scout ahead and wait for you~”

Recalling the message on the communication jade slip, Tang Zifeng’s lips curved into a pleasant smile.

Just as Ruqing said, he had already made a detailed plan for the competition.

He would follow through with what he needed to do step by step, and then…

With a determined look, Tang Zifeng started walking.

Lin Yijun, watching him leave, forgot to be angry and wondered, “Hey, the materials aren’t finished yet. What are you doing?”

Refining was such a dull task.

While alchemists could wander around the mountains to gather herbs, refining was done entirely indoors.

If Tang Zifeng, she’d be left with very few people to talk to.

Tang Zifeng glanced at her indifferently and kept walking, saying, “I’ve finished. You’re free to do as you like.”

Implying that he was done with his work.

Lin Yijun was stunned and muttered, “Over four hundred types of materials, each with a different shape, and you’ve finished them already?!”

Was this the difference between people?

Was this really the gap between the number one refining master and the number one in the younger generation of Xiling?

Soon, a loud sound came from the jade slip, and Lin Yijun looked at the score—fifty points behind Tang Zifeng.

In the professional track, the scoring values were different from the combat track.

Because the test items were fewer and the period longer, the total score was higher.

Fifty points meant a perfect score.

Lin Yijun wailed and collapsed on the table.

“Why is it that everyone around me is such a weirdo?!”

After wandering around the sea and unintentionally returning to the starting point, Qin Ruqing looked at the coconut tree on the island and finally sat cross-legged on her sword to meditate.

The next stop was called Xin Hun Island.

After she came out, Qi Rong went in for testing.

Thinking that Qirong would also need time for the test, she decided to scout ahead.

However, after a long time of exploring, she almost got herself lost.

Qin Ruqing knocked angrily on the sword handle.

It couldn’t be that she was bad with directions!

It was just that the sea was one thing, and the Xiling Desert was another—both were barren, making it impossible to find her way!

It was also because the official start of the competition was already over half a day ago.

The sun had set, and the surrounding environment was dark, making it even harder to navigate.

After complaining while sitting on her sword, Qin Ruqing quickly found an excuse and felt better.

She took out the jade slip, intending to check if Qirong had completed the test, but her eyes suddenly caught sight of a corner of the Top Talent Rankings.

Tang Zifeng, number ten on the Top Talent Rankings, first in refining, fifty points.

“Oh, Tang Zifeng…”

The first test of the refining tools was finally completed.

It seemed that the tests for refining tools were very labor-intensive, as evidenced by the ten-day competition held earlier.

“Not bad, Tang Zifeng’s skills are consistently impressive.”

Soon, Qin Ruqing checked Qi Rong’s ranking.

As expected, he had completed the test.

He scored a perfect ten in the first test, which measured his physical reaction speed, and scored sixteen in the second test, which involved catching small balls.

Catching the small balls tested the amount of spiritual awareness a person had, and it carried more weight in the scoring.

Qi Rong’s score was good but not outstanding.

Since Qirong specialized in physical training, his spiritual awareness was weaker.

For practitioners focused on physical training, they excel in everything related to physical fitness, especially someone like Qi Rong with a special physique.

However, they tend to be weaker in other areas.

In the rankings, the current top contender was Dan Qing, followed closely by the only person besides her who had full marks in all tests.

The Light Source Buddha was in third place, and the previously fourth-ranked person had dropped down.

Ming Ying surpassed Fang Zhiming, taking the fourth place.

Fang Zhiming fell to fifth place, and his score difference with Qi Rong was only one point, so he could be overtaken at any time.

Besides the fiercely competitive combat rankings, in the specialized rankings, Tang Zifeng led in the Refining Path, Third Sister was leading in the Pill Path, and a female practitioner named Shi Hanfei topped the Array and Symbol Path.

Qin Ruqing remembered that Shi Hanfei was from the Shi family in the Western Regions, a prominent family known for its expertise in array and pill paths.

Many renowned masters in these fields came from this family.

After briefly reviewing the top rankings, Qin Ruqing sent a location to Qi Rong.

She wanted to wait for him rather than going to the next testing point herself because she feared Qi Rong might be targeted by the Fang family if he fell behind.

The Fang family couldn’t catch up with her, and Third Sister Lu Wei was in a different path, so they might target Qi Rong, who was also in the combat path.

After two rounds of testing, Qin Ruqing had a rough idea of the competition’s difficulty and felt she could afford to wait for Qi Rong with her current score.

Qi Rong found Qin Ruqing on a small, unknown island reef.

She was idly counting the stars. When she saw Qi Rong, she jumped up excitedly.

“Next stop, Heart Soul Island! Qi Rong, I’m a bit tired. You’ll be in charge of finding the way.”

She didn’t mention her previous disorientation.

Qi Rong, who had grown up following Qin Ruqing, knew her well.

As he read from the jade slip, he said, “Sister, did you get lost and wait here?”

Qin Ruqing, caught off guard, huffed, “I see you’re looking for trouble!”

The handsome young man smiled and read out the jade slip’s message: “Where the heart is, is Heart Soul Island.”

“What does ‘where the heart is’ mean?”

“So, you see, it’s not that I don’t know the way. It’s just that the jade slip’s hint is too vague… It seems that the Celestial families like to play tricks with the locations as the competition progresses.” Qin Ruqing complained.

She looked around; the sun had set, and it was now dusk.

They needed to find Heart Soul Island before it got completely dark.

Despite following Qi Rong’s directions around the sea and asking locals on nearby islands, they still hadn’t found anything.

The locals said that Heart Soul Island was not in the Eastern Region.

“Does this island even exist?”

Qin Ruqing frowned, “Could it be an uncharted barren island? And what does ‘where the heart is’ mean?”

In the Hui Cui Building, the audience watched Qin Ruqing’s antics at sea and laughed.

“So it turns out even Fairy Ruqing doesn’t know the sea routes! Haha, she looks so silly and cute turning in circles~”

“Give her a break; Fairy Ruqing comes from a family in the southern region. It’s normal for her not to navigate by water currents, winds, or stars!”

When they saw Qin Ruqing and Qi Rong both spinning aimlessly on the sea, the audience was puzzled.

“Heart Soul Island, it’s no wonder they can’t find it. Even as a local of the Eastern Region, I’ve never heard of this island.”

“Could it be an island from another region?”

“That’s impossible. The competition only allows for islands near the Buzhou Archipelago, and even including other continents, there’s no place called Heart Soul Island. If such an island existed, it would likely be controlled and kept off maps.”

“I see even the top contenders seem stuck at this point. This competition is really full of surprises!”

On the sea, Qin Ruqing glanced at the sky. “This is frustrating; I hate wasting time on pointless things.”

She looked at Qi Rong and said, “Qi Rong, protect me while I use a special method to search.”

They found a rocky cave, and Qin Ruqing sat inside, closing her eyes to cast a spell.

This was a complex searching technique used only by high-level practitioners, requiring a strong spiritual sense.

Without her recent advancement in spiritual awareness to the Core Refining Stage, Qin Ruqing wouldn’t have been able to attempt it.

Her slender fingers formed intricate seals, and as she brushed her eyes, they glowed with a faint golden light.

At the same time, her deep spiritual awareness spread out like gentle, rapid waves, covering the entire sea area.

This method required strict conditions: high spiritual awareness and intense concentration, avoiding crowds, especially other practitioners.

Practitioners probing each other’s spiritual senses was a serious taboo and could be seen as a provocation.

Even an accidental encounter had to be carefully communicated as “harmless,” demanding high mental focus.

Such a secret technique was only feasible in a deserted place like the sea, not in a bustling city.

Qin Ruqing’s spiritual sense passed over various islands, such as Sand Boat Island, Sun and Moon Island, and Giant Stone Island, carefully avoiding them due to the presence of many competitors from influential families.

Despite searching almost all the islands in her range, she still found nothing.

Qin Ruqing’s breath wavered in frustration.

Could she really be stumped today?

The islands didn’t have names on the map, so how could she find the Heart Soul Island?

“Where the heart is, where the heart is…” Qin Ruqing’s thoughts raced.

Suddenly, she recalled a nameless small island she had passed earlier.

This island, doesn’t its shape resemble a heart?

So, is this where the heart is?!

Qin Ruqing’s eyes snapped open, and she called out to Qi Rong, “Qi Rong, I’ve found the target! Let’s go!”

When they reached the heart-shaped island, it was indeed quite small.

It was astonishing, and Qin Ruqing thought it looked more like a pineapple…

She scanned the island with her spiritual sense and found only one person, an elderly woman in plain clothes.

Although Qin Ruqing couldn’t sense the old woman’s cultivation level, she still respectfully asked, “Elder, is this Heart Soul Island?”